Newton Movie Review

Newton Movie Review

Newton is relevant and timely without being boring or inaccessible. You could say it lays on its message too thick in the end, or that the pace occasionally slips. But these are minor nigglings that never dent the impact of its thrust. I’m going with four out of five. It’s easily one of, if not the best Hindi film you’ll see this year. Make sure you make the time for it.

Newton is a brilliant and devastating film. With minimal drama and flash, director Amit V. Masurkar creates a many-splendored thing – the film is, at once, a dark, biting comedy, the heart-breaking portrait of a man who just wants to do an honest day’s work and a scathing critique of the state of Indian democracy.

‘Newton’ jumps over that divide and runs off with a brilliantly acted, impeccably written, lovingly shot, humorous, yet poignant film that Indian audiences didn’t ask for, but need.’Newton’ has dared to take on an issue that our vast majority turns a blind eye to, and slaps us out of our blissful ignorance. Amidst laughing, it’ll leave you thinking, which – and we need to be reminded of this – is what good cinema should do. Both your funny bone and your grey cells will thank you for watching it..

This is also symptomatic of Newton itself, a film that, while striving to be admirably dry, proves at times to be achingly dull. The film’s go-nowhere pace seems to be a conscious decision but its highest, most telling moments come through scintillating lines of dialogue (take a bow, Mayank Tewari) and actorly flourishes from a great ensemble. The rest of the film feels like it wants to appear slow in order to be taken seriously, which would be less of a problem if it had enough to say instead of just holding up a mirror.

It’s rare that an Indian film uses dark comedy to make its points so effectively: in ‘Newton’ we go from smiling to laughing outright even at its grimmest, because the film is light on its feet, and the tone is consistent right through. ‘Newton’ is a film to celebrate because it shows without telling, laying out the layers without descending into shrillness or facile solutions.

The true message of Newton, I think, isn’t that one should try to become like Newton, but that one should understand that there is a greater degree of complexity in everything one sets out to improve.In a scene that has Newton trying to explain the importance of voting to the Adivasis, he says, ‘The person you elect will represent you in Delhi’.At this point, an old guard, a crippled soul with little Nosferatu hands and shaggy clothing, suddenly rises up from his pallet and announces, ‘I am the leader of these people, and I will go to Delhi.’The picture wants you to craft change, but it first wants you to give up on your fantasies of quick and easy change.

Newton is one of the finest political satires we have seen in the last couple of years. It refrains from taking sides and offers a humorous take on state versus the Maoists bloody battle. It raises questions on the importance of the electoral system we are so proud of. It takes us much beyond what we see. The team of Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Raghuvir Yadav and Anjali Patil has come up with a top-notch performance. It’s a world waiting to be explored, so better do it now.

On the whole, NEWTON is embellished with powerful performances. But it’s a niche film and hence holds very limited entertainment value for the traditional cinema going audience. Also, the lack of buzz and multiple releases this week will make it tough for it to register impressive numbers.

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Newton Story:

Newton Kumar, a rookie government clerk is sent on election duty to a naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India. Faced with the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels, he tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the odds stacked against him.